Some joint markets in Tajikistan near the border with Afghanistan have remained closed over the past year after the fall of the previous government, challenging thousands of Badakhshan residents whose main purchases were dependent on the bazaar.
The Agha Khan Foundation had built five joint markets in Ishkashim, Shughnan, Maimay, Nusai, and Khwahan districts in Badakhshan province with the aim of ease access to basic needs and employment for the residents of the border districts on both sides of the Amu River.
The residents said they had easy access to purchasing all required goods once a week in the markets. It also helped businesspeople from both sides to meet.
The most famous of the markets was the Ishkashim Market, located in the center of the Panj River. The border bazaar was accessible to locals from both sides, and occasionally foreign tourists in Tajikistan who visited Afghanistan.
No long immigration process was required to enter the market as Afghans had easy access to it.
“The market was established some years back and it solved a big part of our problems,” said Abdul Khalil, a Badakhshan resident. “Last year, the Tajik authorities closed these markets due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Now, it has remained closed over security issues.”
“The markets were so helpful, especially during winters… They are closed over the past year since the Taliban takeover,” said Abdul Qoddus, a resident of the Shighnan district in Badakhshan.
Taliban has vowed to ensure the security of border areas between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, but despite these assurances, the neighboring country is yet to allow the reopening of the markets.
